The Good Sam organization, under the umbrella of Camping World Holdings, is retiring Trailer Life and MotorHome magazines— which have been around for over 75 and 50 years respectively— in favor of a new print publication—simply titled “RV Magazine,” along with the enviable web domain RV.com.
RV.com and RV Magazine will deliver content you’d expect, including product unveilings and reviews of RVs, travel destinations, recipes, new product innovations, and tips. Reviews and insights will come from experts and RV influencers, meaning the bulk of the content will be driven by RV enthusiasts themselves.
“As the RV and outdoor industry continues its rapid growth, we are investing heavily in a full circle solution of content that enhances the lifestyle. We feel strongly that it is the right time to launch this community and cater to all RV and outdoor enthusiasts — from beginners to experts — tent campers to motorhome owners and everyone in between – and the answer is RV.com and RV Magazine,” said Marcus Lemonis, Chairman and CEO of Camping World Holdings, Inc. “Good Sam’s role is to protect, inspire, inform and bring the best ideas and solutions to RV and outdoor enthusiasts.”
The final issues of Trailer Life and MotorHome magazines will come this December. Their respective websites will continue on, but in a different guise. TrailerLife.com will become a lifestyle brand for the towable enthusiast and MotorHome.com will convert into a marketplace showcasing products and services for the motorized RV consumer. The new RV Magazine is set to be online, in newsstands and in-homes the early part of January 2021.
A Good Sam representative confirmed to RV Miles that subscriptions to either MotorHome or TrailerLife will automatically roll over to RV Magazine for the same number of months remaining. Those that subscribe to both with get an equivalent number of issues.
TrailerLife Magazine was first published in 1941 as Western Trailer Life by the Trailer Coach Manufacturers Association and sold for 10 cents. Southern California ad man Art Rouse took it over in the late fifties, spending every penny he had on the purchase. He brought on his wife and three kids as staffers for the family business.
At the time, camping in an RV was booming, in much the same way it is today. Trailer Life’s readership grew tenfold in over the next decade, and in 1968 the publisher of competing magazines Trailer News and Camper Coachman offered to sell to Rouse. The deal included the then-two-year-old Good Sam Club. That same year, Rouse launched MotorHome Magazine as MotorHome Life.
Rouse sold off his businesses in the 80s, and he passed away in 2007. The magazines and Good Sam now operate under the umbrella of Camping World Holdings, parent company of the nation’s largest RV dealership chain. Good Sam now touts itself as the world’s largest RV membership organization, with over 2 million members. In recent years, the club has shifted its focus from community towards offering premium services like extended warranties, roadside assistance, and insurance. They also produce a good many of the RV shows around the country.
